Valve warns Steam Early Access users that products may never be finished
The implication of Steam Early Access is that those games will eventually be completed. Valve is now saying that might not necessarily be the case.
Steam Early Access is a relatively new idea from Valve, allowing players to help out in the development process by purchasing certain games early for the right to play them in their current state. The implied idea is that these games will eventually arrive at a final release. Now Valve is saying that might not necessarily be the case.
Valve has added a significant caveat to its Steam Early Access FAQ (via Rock Paper Shotgun), stating, "Its up to the developer to determine when they are ready to 'release'. Some developers have a concrete deadline in mind, while others will get a better sense as the development of the game progresses. You should be aware that some teams will be unable to 'finish' their game. So you should only buy an Early Access game if you are excited about playing it in its current state."
While Steam Early Access has always been somewhat of a "buyer beware" proposition, this is the first time that Valve has explicitly made it clear that developers may not finish their product in a timely manner, or even at all.
The Steam Early Access section of the Steam marketplace currently features a total of 201 games, including notable titles like DayZ, Rust, Landmark, and Kerbal Space Program.
-
Shacknews
replyOzzie Mejia posted a new article, Valve warns Steam Early Access users that products may never be finished.
The implication of Steam Early Access is that those games will eventually be completed. Valve is now saying that might not necessarily be the case.-
-
-
they did a kickstarter and the top backer reward was that you could fight the CEO in a UFC-style octagon. they would fly you to Seoul and you'd have dinner, watch the CEO fight the art director, and then you'd fight the CEO. then they'd send you packing with the CEO's cell phone number in case you wanted to bug him.
it was really weird. i don't understand koreans
-
-
they shut it down? really shady that they're still selling access http://store.steampowered.com/app/207230/
-
[deleted]
-
you can still play on community-run servers but yeah, all the official servers are gone and they laid off their whole staff. they're talking about compensating people for their DLC purchases and indiegogo contributions. i'm not even sure what would happen if you tried to buy the $20 "all access" thing on steam
-
-
-
Maybe my sense of entitlement is underdeveloped or I have a healthy sense of "buyer beware" but this seems like a reasonable warning to me. Hopefully it doesn't get abused but I could foresee at some point in time a game you paid early access for changes significantly from the concept you were sold on to even being shut down altogether. Only because it happens all the time behind closed doors in the gaming industry. Don't just go around throwing money without long term thought behind it. Unless it's a Steam summer/winter sale then you have permission to be impulsive.
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
-
Ive been talking to friends lately about this......folks are handing over millions of dollars collectively for alpha versions of games.....The devs are laughing all the way to the bank. All because nobody can wait for anything anymore. Dayz standalone has sold 2 million copies. Now times that by 30 bucks and you can imagine the money. Then what incentive do the companies have to finish? NONE ! It probably helps fund other projects. Its bad enough many games now are horribly buggy at launch, now were paying for even more horrible!
-
Good thing is, developers who take the money and run will (hopefully) never see another penny.
The problem is when a handful of nameless, faceless guys make millions and can life comfortably doing nothing for the rest of their lives. -
I was with you until you used times as a verb
-
-
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
Yea...I don't get the deal really.
If anything it should be free until release...
-
-
Valve should curate Steam more effectively. We should get partial refunds for incomplete projects.
There should be milestones. SOMETHING that makes these devs more accountable. :(-
-
Perhaps Valve could create a mechanism where the funds are kept locked up?
-
-
-
People are not going to like this but as long as people are buying early access games they are not going to stop selling them. I like Steam and use it almost every day but it exists to make money and until it hurts them financially they are not going to stop selling early access games especially when they are often the top sellers.
-
-
Hell no... it should be an instinctive response if you're smart. I've bought 1 early access game (Starbound) and after playing I probably would've been fine to just wait. Playing games in their early state has the potential to ruin the experience and plant the seeds of doubt and frustration, making it difficult to want to play the game again.
-
-
-
I brought up DayZ, Landmark, Rust, and KSP and I think those will all be just fine.
-
-
I'll overlook it. ;) Because you've started a good conversation.
-
-
KSP is complete enough to be really fun. I sunk a ton of time into it. I'm hoping DayZ eventually starts to come together quickly.
-
-
Project Zomboid is coming along nicely. I'm not sure if they'll make it to the end, I don't know the people who make it, but where it's at is good.
Starbase DF-9 is making such good and steady progress that I have no doubts about it. About 5 months in, Alpha 5 just released, and every release is a solid improvement. Still not "good enough" for a game if development now suddenly stopped, but getting there. -
[deleted]
-
[deleted]
-
Divinity Original Sin comes out (retail, no-longer-early-access, whatever you call it in light of early access existing) in 14 days. So probably that one.
All of Double Fine's games seem to make good progress and I'd be surprised if they don't make it.
Prison Architect gets significant monthly updates and seems like it'll make it.
DayZ, Rust have consistently been top sellers for months. They should be fine.
Kerbal Space Program seems fine.-
-
Man, end of June now? Dammit.
-
June 20th becomes June 30th
Because of the voice recordings (and a few other things which will become clear soon) we have to delay the release of Divinity: Original Sin by 10 days.
This is going to give us the time we need to get everything integrated. We know we’re testing your patience, but you can rest assured that we’re as keen as you to release-- it's high time we get this game out of our hands and into yours!;) Those extra days, are strictly necessary; we promise!
-
-
-
-
-
I personally just don't understand the appeal of getting a game before it's done. Too much risk. It's why I'll likely never back a game on kickstarter or buy anything early access.
-
-
[deleted]
-
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/06/03/xenonauts-complete-download-xcom/
Key quote from devs:
"We have now released Xenonauts V1.0 on the Steam Stable branch, which marks the end of formal development for Xenonauts. This is effectively the final version of the game, minus any stability patches that may be required. Official release and leaving Early Access for the game is in about two weeks, but the remaining time is mostly going to be spent on sending out review copies, the PR around the launch, porting to Mac / Linux and getting the Kickstarter rewards sorted out etc.”
“There have been a lot of changes made since the previous Stable version. The game has a much smoother difficulty curve, more information for new players, new line of sight mechanics, much improved AI and all sorts of finer polish.”-
[deleted]
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
I backed that one then got around to playing the beat late last year and was super impressed with the quality they've achieved thus far.
-
I bought it and fired it up to give it a 15 minute whirl before coming into work this morning, and the quality and cohesiveness oozes out of that game.
Also, true to form, my first landing party got utterly smashed by a team of derpy aliens. About the only thing I could complain about so far was the weird alien design (THEY HAD RED AND BLUE SHIRTS, WTFFFFFFFFFFFFFF). This goddamn game is going to 0wn. I'll probably stream it this weekend. Maybe.-
[deleted]
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
-
-
-
Think it might be appropriate for Steam to put a limit on much should be charged for such early access? A cap, of say $20, limits your loss if the dev goes belly up. maybe $20 if the game is at alpha, $30 for early beta. And then $40-50+ for late beta to pre-order.
IDK... I get why to have early access, but it is a very real risk that the game may not ever finish. So, to protect some people maybe impose limits on what the investment can be?-
Are we (the consumers) really benefiting from early access in any meaningful way? I feel like your suggestion only makes sense until you realize that doing this would just incentivize companies to lie about their game's state in order to charge more, and create more things for customers to bitch about re: definitions of alpha/beta/etc.
I think we'd all be better served by early access not existing at all, honestly. I don't think it needs to be part of Steam, and I don't think we've gotten any benefits from it aside from the dubious "I get to play earlier" part.-
I think you're right on both parts; especially the false state bit. Yeah, very real problem, even without early access.
The assumption is that this is just a different label for crowd funding. I thought early access from Kickstarter stuff was pretty awesome. Then I realized I really didn't want to play a game with half the features missing. I enjoyed playing Spacebase DF9 a few alpha releases ago, and it was fun. But, when I started reading what was coming I realized I didn't want to burn myself out between now and the final game. So, I stopped paying attention to any early (at least alpha) stuff at all from all the games I've backed. Beta is different because at least you get a good sense of the final game.
But, my point was really about crowd funding, and I didn't really spell that out in my post.-
I'm okay with crowdfunding in general, but I just don't think it necessarily belongs on Steam, and it certainly shouldn't be lumped in with the rest of the games that are officially finished and released. If nothing else, I'd like them to move it off the front page of the store entirely, not have them in the sales charts, etc.
-
That's nice and all but considering Steam makes money on this their incentive is to have it in their ecosystem rather than have it be a game that made much of their money outside steam and launch on steam where the majority of sales had already been done so they're giving out keys at launch.
This move by them seems like a way do they can keep early access but also don't have users view early access as being Steam and quit it when they get burned on an early access game or complain on forums. Make it so if a game fails then only the Consumer is to blame. Basically they can have their cake and eat it too.
-
-
-
-
